Associate Epidemiologist, Department of Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital

nhrmt@channing.harvard.edu

I initially became interested in epidemiologic research because I wanted to apply my background in molecular biology to studying cancer risk at a population level. My early work focused on the role of gene-environment interactions in relation to breast cancer. I used complementary aims to address the role of oxidative stress and breast cancer by examining the role of plasma antioxidant levels, genetic variation in an antioxidant enzyme, variation in a tumor suppressor gene involved in the repair of DNA damage that can be caused by oxidative stress, and variations in a proto-oncogene. My long-term goals are to incorporate the full spectrum of resources including genetic variation, early life exposures, circulating markers, tissue markers and intermediate endpoints to fully develop and address hypotheses about breast cancer risk.

My interest in breast cancer has expanded to include intermediate markers of breast cancer risk, specifically benign breast disease and mammographic density. My goal is to better understand breast cancer risk by utilizing molecular markers and focusing on intermediate endpoints in epidemiologic studies. A benign breast disease project has been on-going within the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) cohort. As part of this project, I have been directly involved in creating tissue microarrays from archived benign breast tissue blocks. This will allow us to examine molecular markers in epithelial and stromal tissues of benign tissue and their association with subsequent breast cancer risk. By studying mammographic density and benign breast disease as intermediate endpoints we may elucidate further the development of breast cancer especially at its earlier stages. I have taken the lead in the mammographic density projects in the NHS and will examine lifestyle, genetic, and molecular predictors of mammographic density.

Characterization of breast tumors by hormone receptor status has been important in understanding the mechanisms by which certain breast cancer risk factors operate, but also for determining treatment and prognosis. I have worked closely with many of our collaborators to develop a strategy and create breast cancer tissue microarrays within the Nurses’ Health Study. This will allow us to examine how lifestyle factors, and genetic and plasma markers influence the molecular characteristics of the breast tumor. Better molecular classification of breast tumors may provide important clues as to the biology and underlying mechanisms of breast carcinogenesis. Moreover, in the future we will examine the relationship between tumor markers, prognosis, and survival.

In addition to my research interests, I have been very involved in and have enjoyed greatly a number of local teaching opportunities at Harvard School of Public Health, Extension School and Medical School. In addition, I co-developed and taught an Introductory Epidemiology course at the National University of Singapore geared towards students entering the field of molecular and genetic epidemiology. At Boston University School of Public Health, I have co-organized and taught a cancer epidemiology course for masters level students. In 2006, I will become a co-instructor of EPI203 at the Harvard School of Public Health. This course is a core course for all epidemiology doctoral students.

Tamimi R, Steingrimsson E, Copeland NG, Dyer-Montgomery K, Lee JE, Hernandez R, Jenkins NA, Tapscott SJ. The NEUROD gene maps to human chromosome 2q32 and mouse chromosome 2. Genomics. 1996 Jun 15;34(3):418-21. [abstract]

McCormick MB, Tamimi RM, Snider L, Asakura A, Bergstrom D, Tapscott SJ. NeuroD2 and neuroD3: distinct expression patterns and transcriptional activation potentials within the neuroD gene family. Mol Cell Biol. 1996 Oct;16(10):5792-800. [abstract]

Tamimi RM, Steingrimsson E, Montgomery-Dyer K, Copeland NG, Jenkins NA, Tapscott SJ. NEUROD2 and NEUROD3 genes map to human chromosomes 17q12 and 5q23-q31 and mouse chromosomes 11 and 13, respectively. Genomics. 1997 Mar 1;40(2):355-7. [abstract]

Kuper H, Lagiou P, Mucci LA, Tamimi R, Benetou V, Trichopoulos D. Risk factors for cholangiocarcinoma in a low risk Caucasian population. Soz Praventivmed. 2001;46(3):182-5. [abstract]

Kuper H, Mantzoros C, Lagiou P, Tzonou A, Tamimi R, Mucci L, Benetou V, Spanos E, Stuver SO, Trichopoulos D. Estrogens, testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin in relation to liver cancer in men. Oncology. 2001;60(4):355-60. [abstract]

Mucci LA, Kuper HE, Tamimi R, Lagiou P, Spanos E, Trichopoulos D. Age at menarche and age at menopause in relation to hepatocellular carcinoma in women. BJOG. 2001 Mar;108(3):291-4. [abstract]

Mucci LA, Tamimi R, Lagiou P, Trichopoulou A, Benetou V, Spanos E, Trichopoulos D. Are dietary influences on the risk of prostate cancer mediated through the insulin-like growth factor system? BJU Int. 2001 Jun;87(9):814-20. [abstract]

Tamimi R, Mucci LA, Spanos E, Lagiou A, Benetou V, Trichopoulos D. Testosterone and oestradiol in relation to tobacco smoking, body mass index, energy consumption and nutrient intake among adult men. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2001 Jun;10(3):275-80. [abstract]

Weiderpass E, Ye W, Tamimi R, Trichopolous D, Nyren O, Vainio H, Adami HO. Alcoholism and risk for cancer of the cervix uteri, vagina, and vulva. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001 Aug;10(8):899-901. [abstract]

Hagel M, George EL, Kim A, Tamimi R, Opitz SL, Turner CE, Imamoto A, Thomas SM. The adaptor protein paxillin is essential for normal development in the mouse and is a critical transducer of fibronectin signaling. Mol Cell Biol. 2002 Feb;22(3):901-15. [abstract]

Lagiou P, Hsieh CC, Trichopoulos D, Xu B, Wuu J, Mucci L, Tamimi R, Adami HO, Cnattingius S. Birthweight differences between USA and China and their relevance to breast cancer aetiology. Int J Epidemiol. 2003 Apr;32(2):193-8. [abstract]

Lagiou P, Tamimi R, Mucci LA, Trichopoulos D, Adami HO, Hsieh CC. Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy in relation to prolactin, estrogens, and progesterone: a prospective study. Obstet Gynecol. 2003 Apr;101(4):639-44. [abstract]

Mucci LA, Lagiou P, Tamimi RM, Hsieh CC, Adami HO, Trichopoulos D. Pregnancy estriol, estradiol, progesterone and prolactin in relation to birth weight and other birth size variables (United States). Cancer Causes Control. 2003 May;14(4):311-8. [abstract]

Tamimi RM, Lagiou P, Mucci LA, Hsieh CC, Adami HO, Trichopoulos D. Average energy intake among pregnant women carrying a boy compared with a girl. BMJ. 2003 Jun 7;326(7401):1245-6. No abstract available.

Tamimi R, Lagiou P, Vatten LJ, Mucci L, Trichopoulos D, Hellerstein S, Ekbom A, Adami HO, Hsieh CC. Pregnancy hormones, pre-eclampsia, and implications for breast cancer risk in the offspring. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2003 Jul;12(7):647-50. [abstract]

Han J, Hankinson SE, De Vivo I, Spiegelman D, Tamimi RM, Mohrenweiser HW, Colditz GA, Hunter DJ. A prospective study of XRCC1 haplotypes and their interaction with plasma carotenoids on breast cancer risk. Cancer Res. 2003 Dec 1;63(23):8536-41. [abstract]

Tamimi RM, Hankinson SE, Ding S, Gagalang V, Larson GP, Spiegelman D, Colditz GA, Krontiris TG, Hunter DJ. The HRAS1 variable number of tandem repeats and risk of breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2003 Dec;12(12):1528-30. [abstract]

Tamimi RM, Hankinson SE, Spiegelman D, Kraft P, Colditz GA, Hunter DJ. Common ataxia telangiectasia mutated haplotypes and risk of breast cancer: a nested case-control study. Breast Cancer Res. 2004;6(4):R416-22. Epub 2004 Jun 4. [abstract]

Lagiou P, Tamimi RM, Mucci LA, Adami HO, Hsieh CC, Trichopoulos D. Diet during pregnancy in relation to maternal weight gain and birth size. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004 Feb;58(2):231-7. [abstract]

Lagiou P, Mucci L, Tamimi R, Kuper H, Lagiou A, Hsieh CC, Trichopoulos D. Micronutrient intake during pregnancy in relation to birth size. Eur J Nutr. 2005 Feb;44(1):52-9. Epub 2004 Mar 5. [abstract]

Tamimi RM, Hankinson SE, Spiegelman D, Colditz GA, Hunter DJ. Manganese superoxide dismutase polymorphism, plasma antioxidants, cigarette smoking, and risk of breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2004 Jun;13(6):989-96. [abstract]

Mucci LA, Lagiou P, Hsieh CC, Tamimi R, Hellerstein S, Vatten L, Adami HO, Cnattingius S, Trichopoulos D. A prospective study of pregravid oral contraceptive use in relation to fetal growth. BJOG. 2004 Sep;111(9):989-95. [abstract]

Collins LC, Tamimi RM, Baer HJ, Connolly JL, Colditz GA, Schnitt SJ. Outcome of patients with ductal carcinoma in situ untreated after diagnostic biopsy: results from the Nurses' Health Study. Cancer. 2005 May 1;103(9):1778-84. [abstract]

Tamimi, RM, Byrne C, Baer HJ, Rosner B, Schnitt SJ, Connolly JL, Colditz GA. Benign breast disease, recent alcohol consumption, and risk of breast cancer: a nested case-control study. Breast Cancer Res. 2005;7(4):R555-62. Epub 2005 May 16. [abstract]

Tamimi RM, Hankinson SE, Campos H, Spiegelman D, Zhang S, Colditz GA, Willett WC, Hunter DJ. Plasma carotenoids, retinol, and tocopherols and risk of breast cancer. Am J Epidemiol. 2005 Jan 15;161(2):153-60. [abstract]

Tamimi RM, Hankinson SE, Colditz GA, Byrne C. Endogenous sex hormone levels and mammographic density among postmenopausal women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005 Nov;14(11 Pt 1):2641-7. [abstract]

Tamimi RM, Hankinson SE, Chen WY, Rosner B, Colditz GA. Combined Estrogen and Testosterone Use and Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Jul 24;166(14):1483-9. [abstract]

Cox DC, Tamimi RM, Hunter DJ. GenexGene interaction between MnSOD and GPX-1 and breast cancer risk: a nested case-control study. BMC Cancer. 2006 Aug 31;6:217. [abstract]

Collins LC, Baer HJ, Tamimi RM, Connolly JL, Colditz GA, Schnitt SJ. The influence of family history on breast cancer risk in women with biopsy-confirmed benign breast disease: results from the Nurses' Health Study. Cancer. 2006 Sep 15;107(6):1240-7. [abstract]

Mucci LA, Wedren S, Tamimi R, Trichopoulos D, Adami HO. The role of gene environment interaction in the etiology of human cancer: examples from cancers of the lung, breast, and large bowel. J Intern Med. 2001 Jun;249(6):477-93. Review. [abstract]

Tamimi R, Adami HO. Testicular cancer. In: Adami HO, Hunter D, Trichopoulos D (eds.). Textbook of cancer epidemiology. New York: Oxford University Press;2002. p. 429-440.

Tamimi RM, Lagiou P, Adami HO, Trichopoulos D. Prospects for chemoprevention. Intern Med. 2002 Apr;251(4):286-300. Review. [abstract]

Holmberg L, Tamimi R. Reducing cancer drug doses in obese patients: dogma disputed. Lancet. 2005 Sep 24-30;366(9491):1056-7. No abstract available.

Colditz GA, Baer HJ, Tamimi RM. Epidemiology of Breast Cancer. In: Shottenfeld, Fraumeni (eds.). Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. New York: Oxford University Press;2005. p. 995-1012.

Tamimi, RM. Single nucleotide polymorphisms and breast cancer: not yet a success story. Breast Cancer Res. 2006;8(4):108. [abstract]